The Problem With Modern Disney Princesses | Discussion

I think what bugs me the most is how Disney thinks a woman having a partner makes her weak, just because a woman got a boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't mean she can't be strong and independent, multiple strong male characters got love interests, why can't female characters have the same? As a aromantic woman i do like how the stories aren't all about romance anymore, but there needs to be a balance. Some women likes romantic relationships, others do not. Neither of them are less or more than the other.

Tbh Judy from Zootopia is more original than most recent female protags :P Love the video!

u r so right about alma she rebuilt her entire community while dealing with trauma, grief and raising the triplets she is a fucking badass

I do think that seeing themselves onscreen is beneficial and validating for young girls, so while I feel like the repetitiveness of this archetype doesn’t detract from the quality of the movies, we do need different princesses. Also, even though Disney falling back onto the safety net of this archetype often makes the characters not mesh well with the setting and plot, like you said with Moana, I still think it’s just as enjoyable, but maybe that’s just me.

Thanks for bringing up Moana, for years I had small problem with liking her character and wondering why

Great video! I agree! Disney needs to make princesses with different personalities. My favorite princesses are Snow White, Rapunzel, and Tiana.

My Top 3 Favorite Disney Princesses are: #1. Ariel (The first Disney Princess to break the stereotypical princess trope thanks to her capability, agency, and bravery (facing off with a shark, killing Ursula's eels in the climax, and saving Prince Eric more than once. It's a side of the character I never saw coming due to my prejudice towards princess characters as weak and helpless damsels in distress). Her story is memorble and engaging as its a love story with high stakes and the obsticals Ariel goes through throughout her journey from sea to land, and how her childlike playfulness, excitement, and curiosity make instantly lovable and adorable. She's just as interesting as she is lovable, adorable, relatable, and her voice and beauty are the icing on the cake). 2. Anna (She's the princess I relate to the most. She thinks and acts just like me through her energetic quirkiness and socially awkward persona, how quotable she is, her chemistry with Kristoff is a lot of fun, and I dig her character growth in Frozen 2 because of how I relate to her struggles as she does get insecure and doubtful when times get tough just like me. But, she pushes those flaws aside and saves the day in the end). 3. Tiana (She takes the infamous follow your dreams lesson and turns it upside down by aknowleding that getting what you want in life doesnt come from dreaming and wishing and hoping alone but from hard work. Thus, making Tiana down to Earth and realistic).

Really enjoyed the video and agreed with so much you said except a few things. Anna is personally one of my least favorite princesses because of how naive and gullible she is. I understand her personality is supposed to be the opposite of Elsa’s more regal and icy personality, but Anna literally makes several rash decisions, like trusting a dude she hardly knows with her kingdom, or trying to climb a mountain with absolutely no idea what she’s doing. Kristoff literally spends most of their time together having to keep her from getting killed, and that’s partly why I don’t really like them as a couple. All they do is bicker and make witty remarks instead of forming an actual connection. And I don’t like how Anna is basically Rapunzel, just dumber. Rapunzel is an adorable cupcake who doesn’t need Flynn constantly looking out for her and befriends anyone she encounters! My other hot take is Raya and the Last Dragon better than Pocahontas. I understand Pocahontas sadly has not aged well for a lot of people because of historical inaccuracies and poor representation of Native American culture. But Pocahontas is one of the best princesses to me. I just admire her strength and determination to stand up for her beliefs. And despite the inaccuracies in her story, it teaches a very important lesson of not judging someone by their skin color or culture, and how delicate and beautiful nature is. The Earth is a living being that we’re all a part of. Raya imo should’ve been a series instead. The story is poorly written and we don’t really get any insight to the other characters, including Namari which is why a lot of people don’t like the forgiveness message in the movie. My favorite princesses are Rapunzel, Pocahontas, Tiana and Cinderella. I also really enjoyed Esmerelda and Kida for non princesses. I was never really a fan of Belle or Ariel tbh.

As a tomboy, there are so many people who think all girls SHOULD like pink, SHOULD wear dresses, SHOULDN'T like Among Us ( i just added this because some guy said if i like among us im not a girl) and so on. It's not fair.

Guess they forgot that diversity means more than physical differences and the boxes we put people into.

I can relate to Belle, specially when she was disappointed after seeing the beast's true form 😔😔 All jokes aside, great video ❤

The first few quirky gals were great not just because they were different at the time, but because it made sense AND it elevated the story. Their quirks either emboldened them in their journey or held them back until they learned to overcome them, making their happy endings all the more satisfying and empowering. But the last few heroines have not had that same empowering feeling. They're, at most, relatable... except no one's falling for it. I think Raya was the last Disney princess in the past few years that actually felt like an interesting lead despite how terrible The Last Dragon was, and that was precisely because she wasn't a relatable, excitable, and quirky young girl. The things that happened *effected* her, and even if there would be a return to the optimistic status quo, it would have been because of the strength that lies in choosing good, choosing forgiveness and trust, choosing to be better than those that came before you instead of adding to the cycle of revenge and mistrust. Mirabel is kind of the best of both worlds, having real reasons to be awkward and quirky and relatable without it feeling old and lazy, as well as having to face meaningful conflicts that challenge her to choose to be better rather than just being inherently better than everyone else... If Disney wants to create engaging heroines that empower young girls, they need to actually pay attention to what young girls are like nowadays. They don't need a relatably quirky girl to crack one liners and snarky whips about how outdated the patriarchy is. Young girls (and boys, nbs, and older people) right now are more confused and lost about things like identity, mental health, and toxicity than ever before. Have heroines with flaws they need to overcome, not just in the sense that it holds them back from their potential, but something they need to actively reflect on and confront about themselves in order to become better/more secure people. And also don't just make the same girl in a different dress. It's fine to share similar personalities or struggles, but it's just plain lazy, cowardly, and insecure writing when your protagonist for like 5 movies in 10 years has been ONE archetype written the exact same way each time. It's also patronizing as hell for Disney to act like all of their previous heroines were damsels in distress upholding the patriarchy and failing women, when plenty renaissance heroines very loudly did the opposite and even more. The parallels drawn between Tiana and Facilier due to their race and class, Mulan defying the traditional expectations forced upon both women and men, Rapunzel escaping and then confronting Gothel's abuse and manipulation, how Jasmine's rebellion against authority is also rebellion against her objectification... and then there's the classic princesses, who were not the heroes of their stories but were never meant to be in the first place. They're of their time and they're not immune to criticism, but that criticism should at least meet them on their level instead of acting above them.

A lot of people complain about others praising Frozen for being the ‘first’ Disney movie to show certain feminist values that were already displayed in other Disney movies; for example, arguing that Lilo and Stitch was about a strong sisterly bond first, or Princess Mononoke already had a princess protagonist that didn’t end up with a man in the end, and thus Frozen was not actually the first Disney movie to do anything. While they may be correct, I personally think that the reason Frozen gets more recognition for what it did than previous films, is because—one, unlike movies like Mononoke, it was well known, and two, it wasn’t just a movie with feminist ideas and certain trope-breakers, it was a DISNEY PRINCESS movie with feminist ideas and (certain) trope breakers. Disney princesses are more iconic than characters who are not princesses, and that’s why for a lot of people, the messages they send carry more weight than when non-princess characters do it. Anna and Elsa are also stereotypical princesses (castles, dresses, beauty, etc), which makes the feminist ideals they express mean more to some people than when a character who simply has the title of princess/etc. No matter how progressive people may identify themselves as, a lot of ladies still love a few princess tropes, and will recognize the stories with them more than even other stories and characters with similar values.

What would actually be sibversive is a damsel in distress character but she's a good written character who gets help from friends and allies she makes like cinderella and snow white because their true saviirs were their friends not princes. Want to add aurora's fister mothers in a way were her true saviors as well.

We could had a starboy love interest but nope stupid buzzfeed feminism killed it. Emphasis on buzzfeed femnism because its toxic.

Hey Princess & The Frog is actually beloved but Wish not so much.

Bro 42 views is diabolical this video is fantastic!

Thank goodness I’m not the only one who loves Alma!

I have a theory that the problem with the modern princess is that now they are a brand. The "Disney Princess" were created in 1999, before that, although a trope they were not a "group" or "type", so fairytale movies were just fairytale movies that just happend to have a princess in them. Now Disney Pricess are made to be "Disney Princess" so they have to fill a mold that didn't exist for the characters that created the group while at the same time "correcting" the mistakes of the past. I can tell you we won't get another Jasmine type character, as in a princess who is a secondary character to another's story because now characters are manufacture to be on the line up, only kept out if their movie isn't as popular as executives expected.

this video is incredibly well made, and i agree with basically everything you stated. my favorite disney princess is cinderella, and i've seen her getting clowned on in the name of fake feminism so many times. my second favorite is rapunzel, and i completely adored her naive and clumsy nature but it's getting tiring with many recent princesses who are equally 'adorkable' in ways that make sense for their background and story. i just want disney to make all kinds of characters/princesses with various types of personalities, but i guess that is a tall order now :face-purple-crying: i do think however that the non princess movies still do a good job with this, i loved big hero six and zootopia's female characters and felt they were all unique and well fleshed out. the only disney movie i'm looking forward to right now is zootopia 2 lol. anyways, i'm excited to see what other videos you have for the future!